Massage For Shoulder Pain
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When To Get Assessment for Shoulder Pain?
Shoulder pain is very common and has a wide variety of causes. Chronic overload of muscles from regular postures is a common cause, but trauma, injury and sports can also cause pain. If your shoulder pain started suddenly following trauma or is very painful, you should seek an assessment. Additionally, if your pain is spreading down your arm, or you have symptoms such as pins and needles, numbness or altered sensation, or weakness in your arm or hand, your issue may be related to the nerves of your neck or shoulder. In this case, it is helpful to get an accurate diagnosis soon to ensure you don’t have any long-term changes of sensation or power in your arm.
If you are unsure of the cause of your shoulder pain, getting an assessment with an experienced massage or physical therapist is a good starting point to understand why it developed. An assessment can also help you discover the likely cause and help you get started on the best treatment to resolve it and prevent further episodes.
Is Massage Helpful For Shoulder Pain?
Massage is a very effective treatment for pain relief for several issues. Muscular neck and shoulder pain is often treated with massage, with very good effects. Deep tissue massage and long-hold, static stretches can ‘relax’ muscles. This relaxation is the reduction of the tone of the muscles. It is a neurophysiological effect of these treatments. Relaxed muscles are more supple and flexible, allowing for freer movement of our neck and shoulder, which may make movement more comfortable.
Relaxed muscles can rest and, therefore, are less likely to be painful due to fatigue. Poor postures that keep muscles tense can often make those muscles painful, just because they are fatigued. Additionally, if the shoulder pain is related to nerves, and the cause of the nerve irritation is determined to be muscular, without spinal pathology, massage can help for the same reasons.
Where To Massage For Shoulder Pain Relief?
The common muscles that can cause shoulder pain at the top of the shoulder, or between the neck and shoulder, are the upper trapezius and levator scapula. Pain at the back of the shoulder of the top for the shoulder blade is likely the levator scapula, as it attaches to the upper corner of the shoulder blade and this is a common sore spot. Lower down on the back of the shoulder blade are our posterior rotator cuff muscles which can also be a cause of pain. All of these muscles can be relaxed with massage or trigger points directly to them and with stretches.
Useful Stretches
These two stretches should be painful, and feel like a good stretch in the muscles between your neck and shoulder. If they are pain free they should be held for 45 seconds and repeated every few hours to get some relief by relaxing the muscles.
Stretch for the upper trapezius: Sit tall with your right hand holding the bottom of your chair, side bend your neck to the left. You should feel a stretch on the right side of your neck.
Stretch for the levator scapula: Sit tall with your right hand holding the bottom of your chair, side bend your neck to the left, then rotate your nose down towards your shoulder, and take your chin towards your chest. You should feel a stretch on the right side of your neck further back than with the upper trapezius stretch.
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We are specialists in massage therapy for various conditions in our clinic in Fulham, South West London. We also have physiotherapists who can provide additional assessment if needed.
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